"How can you not be full?"
"Hey, you've been pushing me through a lot recently, and I need to build my strength back up."
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto and Ebisu discussed the infinite pit that was the pupil's stomach. On the outside, the midday going-ons of the villagers went into full swing. The sun radiated a healthy over glow over the village; tourists in the market stopped to make casual conversations with locals. Several school children, recently released, raced down the street nearly running down several adults.
Another bowl of ramen down and another chunk of change out of Ebisu's pocket. The jonin stared in amazement at the ever-growing stack of bowls. Each one stacked in such a way to disrupt the equilibrium of the other yet somehow they didn't fall over. Ayame and Teuchi looked on as their number one customer methodically took apart their creations savoring every last flavor. They also found it quite pleasurable to see his teacher in abject fear of the incoming bill.
"So now that lunch is almost over, what are we going to do for training?" Naruto asked in between gulps of ramen.
"You still want to continue? If I recall correctly you were near death not too long ago." Ebisu responded giving Naruto a sideways glare through his sunglasses.
"Yeah but that was before I got anything to eat. Now I feel like I could take on the world!" the boy put his foot on the counter and triumphantly posed with a bowl of ramen still in hand. However, he was quickly contained after being scolded for disreputable behavior.
"Listen Uzumaki, you need to learn proper moderation. Training is good but if you overdo it especially without proper diet and rest the results could be disastrous."
"No way! I can take anything you throw at me."
"Now Naruto you know I would encourage you to do whatever makes your dreams come true, but I think your sensei might have a point. You can't destroy your body and expect to get stronger." Teuchi the ramen chief added.
"Oh, come on Dad. He's just excited."
"I know Ayame, but I think it goes without saying that Naruto can overdo it sometimes." the ramen chef shot a stern look at the boy who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, while his daughter sighed at the antics of her father. The boy continued inhaling ramen much to the chagrin of his teacher.
'It's like trying to dig through boulders with a spoon. I guess I have to introduce some harsh reality into his view. As if he already hasn't had enough.' the jonin that the last part solemnly but cleared his throat and pressed on.
"Naruto, as your sensei I refuse to watch my student do something self-destructive. Let me lay it out clearly so you understand how seriously you, and I, should take this. If you wish to partake in activities that would degrade your mental and physical health, becoming Hokage will always be just a dream. At best you'll be a subpar ninja, and any shot at winning over the respect of the village will be unobtainable."
Naruto slowed his intake of ramen to a halt, staring at Ebisu with worried eyes. He downed the current bowl of ramen and placed it off to the side.
"Then tell me, what do you think I should change?" Naruto asked unusually quiet slightly shaking his teacher's nerve.
"For me to accurately detail any changes I feel that I should see what your life is like day today. I want to know what your living arrangements are like, your diet, your social life, everything."
"Why do you need to know all of that? I thought most sensei's put their students through their own kind of training, I've never heard of a sensei needing all of that information."
"I hope it isn't too foreign of an idea to you Naruto. I need to know who you are in order to train you efficiently."
"My social life is important to getting stronger?"
"Knowing what you're like is important for me in deciding how to make you stronger."
"What about Konohamaru? Aren't you suppose to be training him?"
"He's currently on a trip in the Land of Grass on a Sarutobi vacation, with the exception of the third for obvious reasons. Naruto, why are so suspicious of my motives? Is it that hard to believe that I only want to make you the best ninja I can?"
Naruto looked on incredulous and nearly insulted by the words he had heard. "Okay, what's the deal. Yesterday you were such a smug bastard and now you're being so nice! What's the catch, huh?"
"Where's this coming from?" Ebisu asked astonished, so much so he missed the concerned looks of the ramen chefs.
Naruto wrinkled his nose as if a pungent odor began dancing in his nostrils. He turned away from the jonin and glared at the countertop, the features on his face changing in a way that can only be described as feral. The Ichiraku's' fears were confirmed when Naruto turned slowly back to his teacher and nearly spat at him.
"Next you're going to tell me that I can do it by taking another sacred scroll from the Hokage's office, or maybe from Sasuke, the Uchihas are bound to have something useful, right!?"
"Naruto, what in the world are you going on about?"
"Don't act like I'm dumb. Senseis like you are the kind to me when you want something. I won't fall for it!" Naruto suddenly lunged at Ebisu with kunai in hand. The jonin, on instincts, diverted the metal finger to the ground along with the genin. He then pinched a nerve on the boy's neck which relaxed Naruto into a slumber.
"Would someone mind explaining what the hell just happened?"
The Ichiraku's looked at each other than at the ninja. "You don't know much about Naruto's past, do you?" the daughter questioned.
"He was a prankster who failed many times in the academy. Given his, status, I would say that his life wasn't easy. But I would think that here in the Leaf it wouldn't have been so. . ." he stopped when he noticed the two sad shaking heads.
"I'm not comfortable confiding in you anything the boy wouldn't. So I'm going to put it like this. You probably, no, you definitely had negative feelings towards the boy at one point or another. How do you think other people in the village felt about him? You might pride yourself on self-restraint and reputable behavior, but just imagine the civilians with a wholly different disposition." Teuchi spoke leaving an eerie breeze to float in the air.
Ebisu blanched at the realization that his students' situation was further out of his grasp then he initially assumed. It was now that his status as number one tutor was put to the test. His student needed him, and failing him now would mean forever relinquishing that title, and more importantly, the end of the genin's dream. A thousand contingencies passed through his mind but none of them were any long-term solutions, except for one. It was a risky bet but a card that needed to be played.
In a puff of smoke the duo disappeared leaving a rather large pile of notes and two very close, and concerned friends behind.
Over in the Hokage Mansion, Sarutobi Hiruzen peered into his crystal ball observing the scene. Taking a large hit from his pipe the Hokage sunk himself into deep thought.
To any onlooker, it might appear weird to see a grown adult hop from rooftop to rooftop with an unconscious child on his shoulder. Thankfully for the man, no civilian would be able to spot him from his height nor at his speed. It wasn't long before the destination Ebisu set out for came into sight, the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
Descending from the rooftops Ebisu keep his speed as he burst into the shop. He was greeted with the annoyed eyes of the clan's head, Inoichi Yamanaka and a customer whom he had been helping.
"Ebisu, this better be important."
"I assure you it is. I need your help with one Naruto Uzumaki." Ebisu said laying Naruto's body gently on the ground.
Inoichi got one look at the boy and apologized to his customer for having their conversation interrupted. He informed her though that this was a serious matter that he needed to attend to immediately. In a huff, the customer left muttering something about the blond child under her breath.
"What happened?"
"I'm not quite sure. One minute we're talking, the next he's poised to stab a kunai through my heart. I think there's something wrong with him mentally."
"I guess I can see why you brought him here then. Normally I would prefer a little warning before going into such a delicate mind but seeing your haste I can. . ."
"Actually my request isn't for you to travel into his mind. I want you to send me."
"What? Are you mad? You don't have the experience or training to do a mind walk, let alone a sensitive one like this. If anyone is going to do this it's going to be me." Inoichi said with a tone of finality.
"I am truly sorry if I offended you or your practice but my student needs me now. Please, send me in there, let me help him. He needs me."
"I already told you I can't do. . ."
"Inoichi, I'm not here to debate! I am not ignorant of the jutsu. I have had access to many clan scrolls being trusted by third himself to teach a handful of ninja, including Yamanaka. I'm not as good as you but it's essential that I do it."
"Why would you risk his safety, for your pride? Is it so you can say that you saved him?"
Ebisu gritted his teeth and looked at the boy. The look of anger soon melted away, replaced with steeled determination.
"I've been a tutor for years now, and one thing I learned very early on is that children need someone that they can respect and rely on. Who does Naruto have? Hokage-sama is a kind man but doesn't have the time to give Naruto the attention he needs. Kakashi was willing to give up training Naruto because he wanted to train someone else. So who's left? Who will actually put the time and effort into the boy? Will you?" Ebisu waited for a reply but only received silence from Inoichi. "That's what I thought. From what I saw today at Ichiraku, I can tell you that there is some deep seeded resentment Naruto has for authority figures. He might not show it, but it's there, along with many other problems. But if I can go in there and show him, someone who cares and won't leave because it isn't convenient to be with him anymore, I can start fixing the problem. So I'm not going to ask again, do the damn jutsu."
The Yamanaka's head looked on with awe. Never had this well-kept man ever lost his cool so badly he cursed at a clan head. A fire deep within had been engorged with something spurring such a call to action. A deep chuckle resonated in Inoichi's chest. He stood up and directed Ebisu to put his forehead just above his students.
"Don't worry about privacy. All of my attention will be focused on keeping you in his mindscape. So I'll be in the dark."
"Thank you."
A few hand signals later and Ebisu's world went black.
The ground was wet and the walls were dank, structured like buildings straight out of the Hidden Rain. Smells of mold filled the air like smog. The water itself was dark nearly black. Walking forth Ebisu saw a large gate ahead but more, he saw a small orange figure just in front.
"Naruto, is that you?"
In the distance, the figure turned towards Ebisu with a relieved smile.
"Ebisu-sensei! Where are we, what are we doing here?!"
"We're currently in your mind Naruto."
"My mind?! Why!?"
"After you had a little, episode, at Ichiraku I thought it pertinent to seek help. So I persuaded the head of the Yamanaka clan to allow me entrance into your mind."
Naruto stared at his sensei with wide eyes. "You can't just enter my head! That's like an invasion of privacy or something!"
"It was either that or leaving you in an angered state. I thought you would be a bit more grateful for me coming here!" Ebisu exclaimed presenting a prominent tick mark on his forehead.
"Wait, you said that I had an 'episode' at Ichiraku. What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
"No, I just remember talking to you about being Hokage and then waking up here. What happened, please tell me Ayame and Teuchi are alright."
"Yes, everyone's fine. But I think that we have a bigger issue at hand." Ebisu motioned towards the large cage in front of them.
Both occupants would then turn towards said cage. A feeling of unrepentant horror washed over both teacher and student as every ounce of courage and fortitude immediately left their bodies. In front of them staring into two empty eye sockets unnoticed moments before. Floating in the darkest imaginable void, two even darker holes accented by a bleached white skull made the situation very clear. The Nine-tailed Fox was dead.